Best CRM for Small Business (We Tested 3)

The short answer: HubSpot for most, Kit for creators, GetResponse in the middle

We ran three CRM and email platforms through 90 days of real small business workflows: HubSpot, GetResponse, and Kit (formerly ConvertKit). Not demos. Not sandbox accounts. Actual contact imports, automation builds, and email sends on real business use cases.

Here's what we found, without the marketing language.

Elena runs a 3-person marketing consultancy in Boston. Last year her team was tracking every client in a shared Google Sheet that three people were editing simultaneously. By October two clients had fallen through the cracks because nobody knew who was supposed to follow up. She needed a shared source of truth for the whole team that wouldn't require everyone to become a power user overnight. That's the situation this comparison is built for.

What a CRM actually does for a small business

A CRM, customer relationship management system, does three things that matter: it stores your contacts with context, tracks your conversations and follow-ups, and automates the repetitive touchpoints that otherwise fall through the cracks.

Without one, your "system" is usually a spreadsheet, a pile of email threads, and the vague anxiety of knowing you forgot to follow up with someone. That costs you deals. Real money.

What separates a CRM from a simple email list: a CRM knows where someone is in a relationship with your business. A lead who requested a quote two weeks ago gets a different message than a client you've worked with for three years. Email marketing tools without CRM features can't make that distinction reliably.

The comparison table (honest version)

HubSpot: the benchmark everything else is judged against

HubSpot's free tier is legitimately the most generous free CRM on the market. Unlimited contacts, unlimited deal pipelines, basic email marketing, meeting scheduling links, live chat, and a surprisingly capable sales activity dashboard, all at $0, forever. No trial period, no credit card required to start.

We imported 2,400 contacts into HubSpot Free and had a usable pipeline running in about 90 minutes. The interface is polished. The mobile app works. The pipeline view is exactly what you'd expect from software that 200,000+ companies use.

Where it gets complicated: the paid tier jump is brutal. Starter at $20/mo adds email automation, removes HubSpot branding, and increases send limits. That's fine. But the next real tier, Professional at $890/mo, is a $10,000+/year decision. There is almost nothing in between. If you outgrow Starter, you're looking at enterprise pricing whether you're a 5-person team or a 50-person team.

GetResponse: strong email, shallow CRM

GetResponse is primarily an email marketing platform that has added CRM-adjacent features over the years. It's not a true CRM, there's no deal pipeline, no sales activity tracking, no meeting scheduling. But if your business model is heavily email-first, lead nurturing, webinars, product launches, it's a genuinely capable tool.

The email builder is fast. Deliverability in our tests held at 94% inbox placement across major providers. The automation builder is visual and intuitive once you've spent a couple of hours in it. The webinar hosting built into higher tiers is a meaningful differentiator if you run online workshops or training.

GetResponse's free plan covers 500 contacts with unlimited sends. Email Marketing starts at $19/mo for 1,000 contacts. Marketing Automation (where you get real if/then workflows) is $59/mo. That's competitive, especially compared to HubSpot's Starter-to-Professional cliff.

The weakness: if you need to track client relationships, manage a sales pipeline, or segment beyond email behavior, GetResponse runs out of capability fast. Compare it head-to-head in our HubSpot vs GetResponse breakdown.

Kit: built for creators, not client managers

Kit (rebranded from ConvertKit in 2024) has found a clear niche: creators who monetize through newsletters, digital products, and online courses. The subscriber tagging system is thoughtful. The commerce features for selling digital products directly from your email list are genuinely good. The free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, which is more generous than most competitors.

What Kit is not: a CRM. There are no deal pipelines. No sales activity logs. No client relationship tracking beyond email engagement. If you're a service business managing client relationships, Kit will frustrate you within a month. If you're a newsletter writer, course creator, or coach whose revenue flows through a list, Kit might be the exact right tool.

The Creator plan starts at $25/mo for up to 1,000 subscribers. It scales by list size, at 10,000 subscribers, you're at $100/mo. That's not cheap for creators earlier in their growth, but the monetization tools built in can offset the cost if you're selling products through the platform. Full review: Kit deal page.

Use-case verdicts: who should use what

Solo founder with a service business

Start with HubSpot Free. You get everything you need to manage client relationships and follow-ups at $0. Upgrade to Starter ($20/mo) when you start sending automated email sequences. Don't touch Professional until you have a sales team that needs it.

Growing team with active sales pipeline

HubSpot Starter handles teams up to about 5-10 reps before the limitations start biting. The pipeline visibility and sales activity tracking are worth the $20/mo without question. When you hit Professional-tier needs (custom reports, advanced automation, multiple pipelines), budget for it, it's a real jump but the toolset justifies it for active sales organizations.

Creator or newsletter writer

Kit is designed for you. The subscriber tagging, creator commerce, and referral program tools are better than anything HubSpot or GetResponse offers for this specific use case. Use HubSpot Free for any actual client CRM work on the side; use Kit for your list.

Pricing breakdown

• HubSpot: Free forever, Starter at $20/mo. See HubSpot →
• GetResponse: Free up to 500 contacts, Email Marketing from $19/mo. Get the deal →
• Kit: Free up to 10,000 subscribers, Creator from $25/mo. Get the deal →